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Permalink Reply by Will Faithless Sophia on March 17, 2011 at 7:38pm

Hi Laura ^^ my main interest right now is survival, nuclear holocaust, achieving enough mental stability & confidence (by whatever means) that I can look in the mirror without wanting to tear my face off.

 

Ok, so your turn. Sorry I guess the stress is just getting to me a little bit ^^

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Permalink Reply by Vince Watkins on March 17, 2011 at 11:08pm

Hello from California, Laura. So am I to understand that you were reared as an atheist/non-theist? Are you atheist or do you mean something else by "non-theist?" Perhaps a more innocent point of view than having to define oneself by the fictional characters in which one does not profess belief.

Very interesting. Have you ever dallied with religion? Were you openly atheist/non-theist as a child? If so, what was that like?

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Permalink Reply by paul babcock on March 18, 2011 at 6:10am

Welcome

You look like supercop's sidekick on Criminal Intent. My wife and I always refer to Vincent D'Norris as supercop because he is as unbelievably smart as Sherlock Holmes. Katherine Erbe, I think, is her name. Tho I don't recall ever seeing her in anything other than that.

I was raised on a Baptist household and didn't come to my non-theists until adulthood anyway. So I too am wondering what that must have been like.

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Permalink Reply by Laura McGuire on March 18, 2011 at 12:24pm

Hi Will! Thank you for the welcome, and given the current state of affairs... I too have to say surviving has come quite close to the tip of my list if hobbies. But I managed to overcome the tear-my-face-off stage. I'm confident you will as well... Given time, and Johns theory on the impending arrival of Meta-Godzilla, everything should just right itself on it's own, right?
John- if I see him rear is reptilian head here first, I will make a point to let you know ;)
Vince & Paul-
Thank you both for the welcome!And yes, you took it correctly, my father is agnostic... I grew up without mention of a personal God until school, and even then I spent far more time with my older brothers than school mates. I have 7 brothers, all of us have gone down the religious path a bit differently.
The only one truly troubled is the youngest, (step mothers son). When I started high-school, she pushed us both into Christian private schools. 
While there, I questioned my lack of beliefs briefly, but moved passed the notion within 6 months. The fire and brimstone method was a bit much on my 14 year old psyche no matter how mature I was. 
Later, my father told me he was never worried about the phase. He related a story about my discovering Santa Clause was a myth. My family had a home video of christmas morning when I was 3, and I am screaming and crying because the toy I opened from 'santa' was a toy I'd already spied in my parents closet.
Apparently, several days later... I confessed to my ballet instructor I'd already known because if reindeer existed we wouldn't have invented planes, but wanted attention because instead of seeing me open my legos, they'd been recording my twin brothers opening sega game gears. So, my Dad knew Id have trouble accepting religion in the long run.
But unlike my father, I'm atheist as opposed to agnostic... I still have religious friends from high school, when they start preaching to me... I simply begin referring to God as their imaginary friend and it ends the conversation quickly. I respect their beliefs, and even though they struggle with it... They accept me.
Growing up atheist was different... After I was 5 we didn't really celebrate Christmas, it was only done so we weren't left out, but when we were older we didn't care so much. My dad let us paint Easter eggs, but it was explained from the pagan perspective, as simply being a celebration of the new life spring brings.
I can see where I might have had more issues if I grew up as an only child... I would have had more of a desire to fit in, and struggled some. Overall, it was an average upbringing...

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Permalink Reply by Caleb Cochran on May 18, 2011 at 10:00pm

(I know I'm late but) Hi and welcome! I also have lived in Alabama and Texas. I lived in Willis Texas (Right near Lake Conroe) for 4 years total on and off. 

I have always wanted to call God an imaginary friend while someone was talking about it (Then the whole respect debate comes up) but I would not last that long. I'm not too friendly with lynch mobs lol

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Permalink Reply by Michael Peterson on May 19, 2011 at 2:40am

Uh oh, you're a catholic atheist. I'm a protestant atheist. We must now feud.

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Permalink Reply by booklover on May 19, 2011 at 8:01am

My moms side is Jewish (by heritage only), they were/are Atheists.  My fathers side, protestant.  I married a catholic (I converted him all the way to Agnostic :).  I was raised with no religion.  We celebrated Santa Claus, had a tree and a menorah, the Easter Bunny, etc.  Just the fun stuff.  My kids are both Atheists.  I had a DUH (What was I THINKING? Oh! I WASN'T!!!) moment and tried catholicism.  Didn't work out for more than a year.  My daughter immediately said at age 7 after her first communion class that she thought "that jesus thing sounds like a myth".  Smart kid.  We dropped it right away. lol.

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Permalink Reply by roland707 on May 19, 2011 at 8:47am

Hey Laura, I'm in Boaz, AL. Good to meet you.

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